Brandon Bolden saw his former boss land a better job this offseason -- then went to go work for him again.
Josh McDaniels was Bolden's offensive coordinator on the Patriots for a total of eight seasons before leaving New England to take the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach job this January. In March, Bolden reunited with McDaniels when he signed a one-year contract with the Raiders.
So, how does it feel for Bolden watching McDaniels call all the shots in Las Vegas instead of answering to Bill Belichick in New England?
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"It’s just like the parents leaving the house and your older brother is babysitting. That’s kinda how it’s been," the veteran running back joked to reporters Tuesday.
"Me and Josh have been together for a long time. And to just see him go from offensive coordinator just calling plays, just tending to one side of the ball, to now seeing him standing in front of the whole team and address both sides, for me it’s still surreal. Because in my mind it’s like, ‘Josh, you have no idea what (the) defense is talking about.'
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"But he’s doing a great job. I love it for him and I’m super proud of him."
McDaniels is one of the most brilliant offensive minds in football, but Bolden's "older brother" has a lot more on his plate with the Raiders. He'll need to manage personalities in the locker room, be a spokesperson for the team in press conferences and oversee the improvement of a defense that allowed 25.8 points per game last season, 26th in the NFL.
Expectations are high for a Raiders team that added Pro Bowlers Davante Adams and Chandler Jones this offseason, and the spotlight will be on McDaniels in his second NFL head coach job after a failed stint with the Denver Broncos from 2009 to 2010. But McDaniels is surrounded by familiar faces at multiple levels, with multiple ex-Patriots in the front office, on the coaching staff and on the active roster.
With the Raiders hosting Patriots for joint practices in Vegas this week, we're already getting a sense for how Belichick's former understudy likes to run his own operation.